After-hours consultations and antibiotic prescribing for self-limiting upper respiratory tract infections in primary-care practices

AbstractObjectives:To determine the association between after-hours consultations and the likelihood of antibiotic prescribing for self-limiting upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in primary care practices.Design:A cross-sectional analysis using Australian national primary-care practice data (MedicineInsight) between February 1, 2016 and January 31, 2019.Setting:Nationwide primary-care practices across Australia.Participants:Adult and pediatric patients who visited primary care practices for first-time URTIs.Methods:We estimated the proportion of first-time URTI episodes for which antibiotic prescribing occurred on the same day (immediate prescribing) using diagnoses and prescription records in the electronic primary-care database. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the likelihood of antibiotic prescribing by the time of primary care visits were calculated using generalized estimating equations.Results:Among 357,287 URTI episodes, antibiotics were prescribed in 172,605 episodes (48.3%). After adjusting for patients’ demographics, practice characteristics, and seasons, we detected a higher likelihood of antibiotic prescribing on weekends compared to weekdays (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.39–1.45) and on national public holidays compared to nonholidays (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17–1.29). When we controlled for patient presentation and diagnosis, the association between antibiotic prescribing and after-hours consultations remained significant: weekend versus weekdays (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.33–1.41) and holidays versus nonholidays (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03–1.18).Conclusions:Primary-care consultations on weekends and public holidays were associated with a higher likelihood of immediate antibiotic prescribing for self-limiting URTIs in primary care. This finding might be attributed to lower resourcing in after-hours health care.